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and glittering like glass in the moonlight.
It walked right up to me, as though I were nothing more than a rock. I heard it snort, sniffing the
ground, its long neck reaching toward the lush groundcover. It grabbed a mouthful and yanked it
from the earth, sand flying from the roots as they curled in agony. I winced, watching as it contin-
ued up the hill, its feet smashing through the glass shards that were left on the path. It swished its
tail once, sending a spray of glittery water floating to the ground. As it entered the copse of barren
trees, I inhaled deeply, realizing I had stopped breathing as my lungs began to sting. I watched it for
a while longer, the bare trees allowing me to observe as it climbed at least a half mile up the hill. As
it finally disappeared, I turned back to the lake, impressed that I had never seen it here before and
wondering how long it had been living there.
At last, the final glow of daylight disappeared and I moved toward a nearby log and began to gather
wet wood. My eyes enjoyed the darkness, preferring it to the dismal of the recent days. I tilted the
larger spare pieces of wood against the main log, creating a sort of shelter that I then covered with
loose bits of bark. Sounds began to rumble from deep in the woods behind me, and I knew it was
nearing the time for the caves to close. I heard an owl hoot, echoing the noise. I shivered. The
sounds were eerie, cries of defiance and sadness. I felt sorry for all those that had been touched by
the magic the gods had brought upon the Earth, but it was the way it had to be. Humans and magic
did not mix. Together, we could never survive.
At last, night fell and I crawled inside my shelter, listening as the rain ran down the man-made roof.
Everything was quiet now, the pulse of the Earth faint as it drew in its last few breaths. In the morn-
ing sun, I would change it all. I would bring back to this planet what it deserved, and then I, too,
would leave it.
I put my hand against the dead log that lay beside me, feeling nothing but sadness. I would miss it
here, but as I had seen in Heaven, it was obvious that I belonged there. In Heaven, nothing needed
me it only wanted me. In Heaven, I could finally breathe. My life was better served in a place
where I could blend in, just another being with some magical talent, as all the others there.
When I was a little girl, in my human life, I used to think that magic was what I read in fairy tales. I
imagined goblets of fire and wands, flying beams of light and hocus pocus. Now, though, I saw that
magic was much more tangible, something much more organic. It was not like that of the magic in
books. It was something that was individual to most, something like a notion. It was the kind of
magic no one saw coming, the kind that if they did witness, they wouldn t believe. I knew that to-
morrow, though, my magic would leave behind believers. I would spawn a world of grateful hu-
mans humans that will either loathe, or love me.
My thoughts next fell to Edgar, wondering how he was, wondering where he was. I didn t expect
that when I left, he would come after me. He knew as well as I that saying goodbye would only feel
like another end, which it wasn t. This time I knew he was safe, I knew he was alive, and I knew my
way back to him. But something inside me still could not shake the feeling. I was so conditioned to
lose him, that there was no way I could make the ache in my chest stop. I had ignored it a good por-
tion of the day, but now it was boredom that was calling in the doubt. That was all, and I needed to
understand that. This would work.
I balled up my satchel and pushed it under my head. The damp leather smelled like dark coffee as it
entered my nostrils. Unable to handle the scent, I breathed through my mouth instead. I forced my
eyes shut, hoping that sleep would make time go faster. I heard my heart beat in rhythm with the
drops of rain and it lulled me, the steam from my breath began to fill my small enclosure, finally
warming my frozen skin. In the morning, everything would be better.
THE NEW WORLD
Estella
I woke to a dull silence, light filtering through the woods. It had stopped raining, and the wind was
silent. I furrowed my brow as I slid from my enclosure, looking toward the sky as an indicator of
what was happening. The clouds there were thick but still, lurking down on me as they engulfed the
mountains. I cursed under my breath, wondering how high the clouds reached and hoping I could
still get above them. At least the wind had stopped, which was a good thing, making my flight there
easier. For the first time in a while, I could hear my footsteps while outside, reminding me of my
presence, but also loneliness. My feet sank into the drying sand, the groundcover around me still
thriving despite the fact that the sun did not shine.
I examined the landscape around me, seeing it was completely dead now, all but my little area. I let
out a slow breath, my ears filled with sound of lapping waves from the lake. I walked back to my
small shelter and grabbed my satchel. I walked to a clear spot in the groundcover and sat in the
sand, pulling the satchel into my lap. I dug inside, pulling out a new journal, a pen, and the red
cube. I set the red cube in the sand before me, snuggling it down as it formed a bed around it.
I then brought the journal into my lap and opened to the first page. This journal was to be the first to
denote a new time in my life, a new era. I was nervous, there was no denying that, but writing
would calm me. I pressed the pen to the page and ink flooded into the paper.
Raven: Book Three
Here I am, on the cusp of it all, wondering what will happen and how it will be from here on out. I
want to say goodbye to so many things, but I will not get the chance. I think of Scott and Sarah, and
my foster mother, Heidi. I think about the day I came here, the way it felt to finally break free. I
have come a long way, far further than most ever will in their lives. When I think about it, I see that
it was all for love, the love of happiness and the love of Edgar. I still wish I could remember before,
but I am at peace knowing that I never will.
I put the pen down and grabbed the cube, taking a deep breath as I looked through it, seeing the
beautiful lake as it once had been. I tried to remember every detail, every wave and every line. I bal-
anced it in one hand, digging the other hand into the sand beside me and scooping up a handful, let-
ting it filter back to the ground through my fingers. It felt dry, gritty and tired.
I stood then, finding that waiting was not making this any easier. I dropped the cube onto the
ground, watching as it sank with a dull thud. I shook the jitters from my hands and held them at my
sides, shifting into my changeling as I flew across the lake in a circle, diving back for the cube on
the shore, grabbing it with my talons.
I flapped my wings a few times as I took off skyward, ducking into the dense clouds and working
my way up. I couldn t see anything, the dense cover like cotton. The sight of the cloud brought me
back to my time in Heaven, when we had descended into the thick mists over the lake. It had taken
us a long time to get through it, and I only hoped it wasn t the same now.
I kept moving upward, beginning to doubt myself as I pressed the thoughts away. For as much as I
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